I want to preface this thread by saying I've just recently gotten into baseball. I never really liked it, I only used to watch the playoffs, and even then very sparingly. But since I got to spend this summer in Denver, I decided to make it a point to follow the hometown boys. I even went to the Rockies/D'Backs game last night, but that is besides the point.

The point of this thread concerns the Rangers/Angels fiasco. These guys are beaning people left and right, getting into bench-clearing brawls, etc. The question was brought up on Around The Horn today: Why is fighting "a part of baseball" as some say, and basically allowed?

In the NFL, NBA, and NHL, you are immediately suspended and fined for fighting, and furthermore you are immediately suspended and fined if you leave your bench to join a fight.

Conversely, nothing really happens to baseball players. Benches can clear, relief pitchers can even sprint across the outfield to join in.

So what do you guys think? I'll again state that I don't have a sense of baseball history, I don't know a whole lot about the game. But just as a sports fan in general, it does seem odd that baseball basically allows fighting.